Mr England contest thrown into chaos by UK’s ‘national hunk shortage’

Beauty pageant judges have been unable to crown a new Mr England after their grand final was thrown into chaos by the national ‘hunk shortage’.

Ten hopeful men had taken to the catwalk in a bid to be named the next Mr England and win the chance to become Mr World on Sunday.

But the event was thrown into disarray after two contestants dropped out, others joined last minute, and judges failed to agree on an overall winner.

After hours of deadlocked deliberations, organisers have now been forced to postpone the final by another five weeks.

It is hoped the next Mr England will be jointly crowned alongside the new Miss England on November 17.

Mr England director Angie Beasley made the surprise announcement that all ten finalists would now be given a second chance to prove they deserve the title.

She has previously said that the event was nearly scrapped after only seven men entered.

Angie, who also runs Miss England, said: ‘After a long deliberation, and the judges’ votes divided, we decided it would be fair all round to give everyone another chance to prove why they want to win Mr England and represent their country internationally in 2027.

‘Some of the men had months to prepare, while others only joined the competition days before the event. We want to give everyone an equal opportunity to show their commitment, personality and potential. So they now have five weeks to prepare.

‘We will crown both Miss England and Mr England together at Athena Leicester on Tuesday 17 November and wish all the finalists the very best of luck.’

The contestants hit the catwalk at Melton Theatre in sportswear and sharp evening suits, while also being judged on their personalities, charity efforts and community work.

The competition featured contestants from across England, including accountants, fitness coaches, models, mechanics, students and business bosses, after organisers launched a public appeal for more entrants.

Former Miss England Dr Bhasha Mukherjee was among the judges calling for a rethink after they struggled to separate the finalists.

She said: ‘I’d like to give every one of the finalists the chance to showcase themselves. Let’s see who really wants the title.’

The judging panel also included former Miss England 2008 Laura Mary Coleman, Dr Rani Gundhu QPM, a West Midlands Police officer and event sponsor Envoy London.

The ten contestants are:

• Bal Tattla, 28, an accountant from Greenford, London
• Christian Hawkins, 26, a fitness coach from East Sussex
• Joseph Littlewood, 19, a filmmaking student from Yorkshire
• Luca Devine-Rushbrooke, 17, a college student and golfer from Great Yarmouth
• Manbir Singh, 24, a model from Wolverhampton
• Matthew Teal, 36, a restaurant manager from Bradford
• Ryan Maguire, 27, a mechanic from Horsham
• Samuel Briffa, 31, a caretaker from Hull
• Shrirang Deshmukh, 29, a financial analyst from Canary Wharf, London
• Voltaire Taiwo De Campus, 32, a CEO and entrepreneur from East London

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